(no subject)
This holiday break has been utterly unproductive thus far. I told myself I'd start marking Hundred Years about a million days ago, and that I would do my French devoirs about a million days before that. Instead I
---re-read Unbearable Lightness of Being [I am not looking forward to reading this with Ms. Joplin's class as it is a book that means much to me and my class will SLAUGHTER IT. Is that how you spell slaughter? It looks funny] and The Lovely Bones and From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankwiler.
---spent about half an hour trying to figure out if EL Konigsburg is still alive. She is. She was my favorite author in elementary school, and if you haven't read "The View From Saturday" or "Silent to the Bone" or "From the Mixed-Up Files of Ms. Basil E. Frankwiler", please do so now. I'll loan you the books. I wanted to write her a letter, as I was struck by how devoted I was to her when I re-read The View From Saturday. I re-read it because Lauren said a couple weeks ago "No presents but your presence, which is something I read a book with Tuesday in the title and thought was incredibly cool". Then I told her she was wrong, it's Saturday, because I always remembered that line too. I read every book in the Peeler library by Konigsburg, and once I accidentally checked out "...And Now, Miguel" by Joseph Krumgold because it sat next to the Konigsburg section and I wasn't paying attention. I just thought it was a new one I hadn't read. I also read all the Lois Lowry books. All of them. And Zilpha Keatly Snider. did you ever read the Egypt Game? I read that book a lot. I was not such a cool kid.
---made a website! But I need you guys to ch-ch-check it out and tell me if it works and looks okay on your browsers. I'm not so good with HTML, in fact, I know close to nothing about it. So if you know how to center things, like pictures, tell me. Just check it out, look at the pictures and let me know how it looks. The pictures are by my mom, but she's not named Barbara. That's her friend. Anyway, here: http://barbarakirkstudios.bravehost.com.
---decided that I'm really quite disgusted with the education system. When I am at school, I see so many kids that are falling through cracks, that are totally disinterested, that could be so much better served if the system were better, if teachers were better, if the whole administration of the thing was better. The collaborative period just illustrated this. It was a total waste of time, and though it is touching that they finally realized that students are capable of giving feedback, everyone says the same thing. I was pretty impressed, though, that most of the kids around me bothered to actually write something down that could, if you squint hard enough, be helpful. I think most of us care more than people think and when given a chance, we'll tell you what we don't like. The habit of disregarding teenagers as humans sort of disgusts me. A lot. Actually, teenagers disgust me and I'm not sure they're human. I don't know. If any of you know me when I'm out of college, and if I'm teacher, which is the direction it's headed, please please PLEASE remind me that
almost no one reads the assigned text book reading. and if they do, it's because there's a reading quiz. give them 3 weeks and it'll all be gone.
---re-read Unbearable Lightness of Being [I am not looking forward to reading this with Ms. Joplin's class as it is a book that means much to me and my class will SLAUGHTER IT. Is that how you spell slaughter? It looks funny] and The Lovely Bones and From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankwiler.
---spent about half an hour trying to figure out if EL Konigsburg is still alive. She is. She was my favorite author in elementary school, and if you haven't read "The View From Saturday" or "Silent to the Bone" or "From the Mixed-Up Files of Ms. Basil E. Frankwiler", please do so now. I'll loan you the books. I wanted to write her a letter, as I was struck by how devoted I was to her when I re-read The View From Saturday. I re-read it because Lauren said a couple weeks ago "No presents but your presence, which is something I read a book with Tuesday in the title and thought was incredibly cool". Then I told her she was wrong, it's Saturday, because I always remembered that line too. I read every book in the Peeler library by Konigsburg, and once I accidentally checked out "...And Now, Miguel" by Joseph Krumgold because it sat next to the Konigsburg section and I wasn't paying attention. I just thought it was a new one I hadn't read. I also read all the Lois Lowry books. All of them. And Zilpha Keatly Snider. did you ever read the Egypt Game? I read that book a lot. I was not such a cool kid.
---made a website! But I need you guys to ch-ch-check it out and tell me if it works and looks okay on your browsers. I'm not so good with HTML, in fact, I know close to nothing about it. So if you know how to center things, like pictures, tell me. Just check it out, look at the pictures and let me know how it looks. The pictures are by my mom, but she's not named Barbara. That's her friend. Anyway, here: http://barbarakirkstudios.bravehost.com.
---decided that I'm really quite disgusted with the education system. When I am at school, I see so many kids that are falling through cracks, that are totally disinterested, that could be so much better served if the system were better, if teachers were better, if the whole administration of the thing was better. The collaborative period just illustrated this. It was a total waste of time, and though it is touching that they finally realized that students are capable of giving feedback, everyone says the same thing. I was pretty impressed, though, that most of the kids around me bothered to actually write something down that could, if you squint hard enough, be helpful. I think most of us care more than people think and when given a chance, we'll tell you what we don't like. The habit of disregarding teenagers as humans sort of disgusts me. A lot. Actually, teenagers disgust me and I'm not sure they're human. I don't know. If any of you know me when I'm out of college, and if I'm teacher, which is the direction it's headed, please please PLEASE remind me that
almost no one reads the assigned text book reading. and if they do, it's because there's a reading quiz. give them 3 weeks and it'll all be gone.